Patna, April 19: After the first Coordination Committee meeting of the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) was held, preparations are now in full swing for the second round of discussions, which will take place on April 24 at the Congress state headquarters, Sadaqat Ashram, in Patna.

The meeting will be attended by the Coordination Committee Chairman Tejashwi Yadav, State Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru, State Congress President Rajesh Ram, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) Chief Mukesh Sahani, and representatives of the Left parties, including CPI-ML, CPI, and CPI-M.

According to Congress sources, this meeting will focus on preparations for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, strategising a joint campaign across the state and launching a mass movement against the state government starting in May, with joint rallies and programmes planned across districts.

While the final seat-sharing formula will not be determined in this meeting, parties are expected to present their initial seat demands, paving the way for negotiations.

The Vikassheel Insaan Party, which was not part of the Grand Alliance in the 2020 Assembly elections, is now included — necessitating an adjustment in the previous seat-sharing arrangement.

As per the seat-sharing formula among the constituent parties of the Grand Alliance in 2020, RJD contested on 144 seats, Congress: 70, CPI-ML: 19, CPI: 6 and CPI(M): 4.

As the VIP is included in the Grand Alliance, their seats are expected to reduce.

A Congress leader confirmed that no decision will be taken on the chief ministerial face in the upcoming meeting, reiterating the party’s stance, as expressed by Krishna Allavaru during the April 17 session.

However, RJD leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha and state spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari, have continued to assert that Tejashwi Yadav will be the chief ministerial face of the Grand Alliance.

Their remarks made a day after the April 17 meeting, are being seen as an indirect pushback to Allavaru’s neutral stand.

Despite the pressure, the Congress maintains its position that the CM candidate will be decided at a later stage, possibly closer to the upcoming Assembly elections.

The April 24 meeting is expected to lay the groundwork for unified campaign efforts while highlighting the emerging tussle over leadership projection within the alliance.

Delhi News: A delegation of the Dawoodi Bohra community met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (April 17). During this, the Dawoodi Bohra community expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recently passing the Waqf Amendment Act 2025. The community described the Waqf Amendment Act as a long-pending demand. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju was also present with the Prime Minister during this meeting.

The delegation of the Dawoodi Bohra community, who came to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that this law was being demanded for a long time through the Dawoodi Bohra community, which has now been fulfilled by the government. The delegation said that this has strengthened the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’.

PM Modi gave this assurance
The delegation of the Dawoodi Bohra community met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed its full faith in the policy of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’. He said that the decisions taken by the government promote the inclusion and progress of all sections. The delegation appreciated the positive changes taking place under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and thanked him for his efforts. The Prime Minister also interacted with the representatives of the community and appreciated their contribution and assured that the government is committed to the equal development of all communities.

Who is the Dawoodi Bohra community
The Dawoodi Bohra community belongs to the Muslim sect, which is mainly from West India and whose members are settled in more than 40 countries of the world. The Dawoodi Bohra community connects its heritage to the Fatimi Imams, direct descendants of Prophet Muhammad in Egypt. Dawoodi Bohras around the world are guided by their leader Al-Dai al-Mutlaq (unrestricted preacher), who earlier operated from Yemen and has been operating from India for the last 450 years.

Srinagar, April 18: Senior religious and Huriyat Conference (HC) Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said on Friday that authorities have placed him under house arrest, thereby denying him the right to offer congregational prayers during the day.

Mirwaiz Farooq said on X, “Every Friday I am put under arbitrary house arrest ! Putting pressure on me not to speak up, the ban also aims to weaken the centrality of Muslim institutions of the valley-the Jama Masjid, office of the Mirwaiz, and cause collective grief to Muslims and all those who oppose this authoritarian and sectarian outlook. My house detention case is still pending in court, where I am seeking relief from the Hon’ble High Court, but In such times patience remains our only strength.”

Mirwaiz traditionally delivers the Friday sermon at the Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta area of old Srinagar city. He also heads the Anjuman-e-Nusratul Islam, a religious organisation that runs some educational institutions in Kashmir, including the Islamia High School in Rajouri Kadal area of Srinagar.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) last month declared the Mirwaiz-headed Awami Action Committee (ACC) a banned organisation for five years. The ACC was formed in 1963 during the Holy Relic agitation by Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq. After the elder Mirwaiz was assassinated in 1990 by the terrorists, the ACC came to be headed by his son, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

The MHA order said that the ACC has been encouraging youth to violence and is acting in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the state.

Mirwaiz Farooq, who is the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, has witnessed the desertion of several affiliates. As many as 12 Hurriyat-linked organisations have broken off from secessionism, reposing trust in the Constitution of India.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that “separatism has become history in Kashmir”, and the unifying policies of the Modi government have eliminated separatism in J&K. He has also said this is a victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.